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A Granddaughter Who Made Her Family’s Name

By Eric Asimov June 5, 2008 5:26 pmJune 5, 2008 5:26 pm

Ghislaine Barthod (Photo: Courtesy of the Mad Rose Group)

Pity the poor reader who cares little for Burgundy, as I have so much more to say! A column and a previous post on Burgundy’s march toward reliability weren’t enough. I don’t want to belabor the point, so I won’t repeat myself.

But I do want to call attention to one domaine, Ghislaine Barthod, which thoroughly impressed me but I ended up not mentioning in the piece. Ghislaine makes wines that are so shimmeringly pure that in many ways they epitomize what Chambolle-Musigny and hence, Burgundy, is all about.

Chambolle-Musigny is known for the delicacy and elegance of its wines, and Ghislaine’s wines really capture that. I loved her 2006 village Chambolle – just pure fruit and minerality, while her premier cru 2006 Les Fuées is dense yet lively and vivacious.

Ghislaine took over the estate from her father, Gaston Barthot, in 1986, who had in turn taken it over in 1960 from his father-in-law, Marcel Noellat, who had founded the estate in the 1920s. Like most vignerons at that time, Ghislaine’s grandfather sold most of his production in barrels to négociants. The vignerons generally were paid after six to nine months, which was still sooner than if they had bottled their own wine, which they then would have had to age in barrels and bottles before selling, a two-year proposition, not to mention the costs of the bottling.

“They didn’t have nearly the money we have now,’’ Ghislaine said. It wasn’t until 1989, three years after Ghislaine took charge, that Barthod was able to bottle all of its own wine. With the extra money she made that way – cutting out the middle man but slowing the cash flow — she said she was able to invest in new equipment and improve her wines.

Like many domains, Ghislaine Barthod has greatly reduced her yields over the last 20 years. She has also improved the selection process, which means that only the best grapes are picked in the vineyard, and then they are sorted through again when they arrive at the cellar for vinification.

It’s not enough that Ghislaine makes great wines, so does her husband, Louis Boillot. All of Ghislaine’s vines are in Chambolle, but Louis makes Gevrey-Chambertin as well as Volnay and Pommard, and they serve as excellent points of comparison for the three villages: the dense, dark, peppery Gevreys, the light, delicate Volnays and the more straightforward, less subtle Pommards. A terrific visit all around.

A couple of random observations with nothing to do with Burgundy: When I got to Paris one thing that surprised me was the advertising in every Métro car for English classes. Of course the old stereotype is of French people – Parisians particularly – who will be nasty to those who don’t speak French properly. I’ve almost never experienced that, no matter how mauvais my Français. But it’s surprising now how many young French people speak English willingly, even smilingly.

So I got back to New York yesterday and what did I see on the side of every bus? Advertising for English classes. Who says the French and the Americans have nothing in common?

By the way, I was struck by the fact that very few men in France are named plain old Jean anymore. It’s always a compound name, like Jean-Louis or Jean-Pierre. I started to keep track of all the Jean-combinations I met. Jean-Yves. Jean-François. Jean-Marc and Jean-Claude. Jean-Antoine and Jean-Robert. Jean-Auguste and Jean-Dominique. Jean-Paul and Jean-George. But sadly no Jean-Ringo.

I’ve noticed the same Jean – Phenomenon as well. At the moment, I have the following friends/acquaintances (I’m sure there are more): Jean-Luc, Jean-Pierre, Jean-Remy & Jean-Noël (we call him Johnny Christmas). By the way – I’m not surprised by your latest experience in Chambolle-Musigny – I fall in love in every time I go there.

Before even I saw the content of your post I knew who you were talking about. I fell in love with her wines when I tasted her 02s a few years back and since then she has consistently made great wines that are transparent and always Chambolle; even in 03! Just another success story of Burgundy proving that it is not a mine field but a gold mine.
Best,
Chris

Eric,
I’ve enjoyed reading your thoughts about Burgundy. I love all the wines and the region, although the learning curve is steep. With regards to speaking English, while many French don’t speak our language, those who do seem happy to communicate with us Americans. That being said, I have found them to be both amazed and happy if we can speak their language.

What a coincidence! Yesterday night the german winemaker Klaus-Peter Keller opened a 05 Chambolle-Musigny from Ghislaine at his home and I was totally stunned. Like you said, quite pure/linear style with a very precise fruit and such elegant. WOW

Eric, I think Ghislaine is one of the most wonderful winemakers in the Cote d Or. She really does not have much to work with in terms of terrior. Very thin limestone, and not much dedicated to premier cru. But she has such passion and she loves making wine. For me, she is one of the best winemakers in Burgundy.

I am glad to see you mentioning the Volnays. They are seem to be overlooked. Typically my favorite of the little villages of Burgundy. Thanks for the asides in all your columns. We did experience the disdain of a Parisian waitress onetime. We have laughed at it since.

Not only does she make benchmark Chambolle Musigny every year; she has wine from almost every 1er cru vineyard in the village, except Les Amoureuses, so you can explore the different styles of Chambolle Musigny. I always have mixed feelings when my favourite Burgundy Domaines get a plug (they become even harder to get!), but in Ghislaine’s case, she deserves all the success she gets; she has earned it.